This invention pertains to container-handling structure and, more particularly, a vacuum pickup head usable individually or in multiples with structure, such as a stacker crane, to provide for container handling as part of an article-picking apparatus.
The prior art has had order-picking apparatus with vacuum pickup heads, with the assignee of this application having built such a structure wherein the vacuum pickup head had an internal vacuum chamber and a rotatable valve plate was operated by a solenoid to move between open and closed positions to control application of a vacuum to a space beneath the head which overlies a container and is sealed thereto by a container-engaging seal element. A structure of this type is shown in an abandoned application, Ser. No. 427,064, filed Dec. 21, 1973.
Additional prior art is diclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,697,112 and 3,716,147 wherein solenoid-operated valves are operable to connect a vacuum line to vacuum pickup heads and with the last-mentioned patent showing means for directing air to the heads to facilitate release of containers held thereby.